Lighting fixture



Jam 1934. G. GLATTHAR ET AL 1,941,470

LIGHTING FIXTURE Original Filed Dec. 29, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l Z an 22 40 a r-- --;a

if J0 INVENTORS 650/?45 2:? 64477/14 All/D ATTORNEYS G. E. GLATTHAR ET! AL LIGHTING FIXTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet '2 7 Jan. 2, 1934.

Original Filed Dec. 29, 1932 INVENTOR$ GEO/P6! E 6247777449 All/L ATTORNEYJ Patented Jan. 2, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Frederick Wening,

South Euclid, Ohio Original application December 29, 1932, Serial 649,366. Divided and this application January 26, 1933. Serial No. 653,678

3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in lighting fixtures and more particularly, in ceiling lighting fixtures of the indirect lighting type.

The lighting or illuminating features of the present fixture, including the-colored illumination of the outer surfaces of the several reflectors thereof, form no part of the present application, said features forming the subject matter of our copending application for Lighting fixtures, Ap-

lO plication Ser. No. 649,366, filed December 29, 1932,

of which application this one is a division.

The present application has for its subject matter the provision of simple and improved means for supporting the several reflectors of the pres ent fixture in properly spaced relation and supporting all fixtures from the socket housing, which is carried by the chain or the like depending from the ceiling, and the provision of simple and improved means for supporting the ornamental glass ball located at the lower end of the present fixture, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The invention forming the subject matter of the present application will be readily understood from the following description of one embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a lighting fixture illustrating one embodiment of the present invention; Figs. 2 and 3 are cross sectional viewsthereof on the lines 2-2 and 3-3, Fig. 1, respectively; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the lower end of said fixture, illustrating more clearly .the particular means for supporting the ornamental glass ball l the upper end of a depending chain 3, said chain carrying atits'lower end a generally cylindrical housing 4 for a suitable lamp socket (notshown) in which is removably secured a suitable lamp bulb 5. v

' Suitably supported from the socket housing 4 is the main reflector A of the present improved lighting fixture, said reflector being of any suitable opaque material, such as spun brass, and of any desired shape. As here shown, it is of inverted, outwardly flaring, somewhat frusto-conical shape, with an upwardly and outwardly flaring side wall 10 provided at its upper end with an upwardly extending, relatively narrow top portion 11 terminating in a short, inwardly extending annular flange 12.

The particular means here shown for supporting said main reflector from the socket housing 4 comprises a plurality, say three, of circumferentially spaced chains 13 having their upper ends suitably secured to the socket housing 4, preferably adjacent the lower end thereof, and having their lower ends removably secured to the upper ends of the vertically disposed upper portions 16 of generally L-shaped metal supporting members, the horizontally disposed lower portions 17 of which members extend outwardly through suitable slots 18 in the lower end of said main reflector. To prevent inward movement of said supporting members relative to said reflector A, the vertically disposed upper portions of said supporting members are suitably secured, preferably at the lower ends thereof and by the use of bolts 19 or the like, to the lower end of the reflector side wall 10, as clearly shown in the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment of the invention here illustrated, a readily attachable and detachable connection between each chain 13 and a supporting memberportion 16 is insured by providing the lower ends of said chains with suitable hooks 14 and by providing the upper ends of said supporting member portions 16 with suitable apertures 15 to detachably receive said hooks, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

Suitably supported on the outer' ends of the horizontally disposed lower portion 1'7 of said L- shaped supporting members is the upper end portion of a supplemental reflector B, which reflector, like the main. reflector A, may be of any suitable opaque material, such as spun brass, and of any desired shape. I As here shown, said supplemental reflector is of inverted, outwardly flaring, somewhat frusto-conical shapewith a lower portion 20 flared upwardly and outwardly, an intermediate portion 21 flared outwardly and slightly downwardly, and a generally ring-like top portion 22 flared upwardly and outwardly and terminating in a short, inwardly extending annular flange23 which restsupon the outer ends of the horizontally disposed lower portions 17 of the L-shaped supporting members. In this way, both the main reflector A and the supplemental reflector B are carried by said supporting members, all as will be readily understood.

The function of the main reflector A is, of course, to provide the main illumination by directing upwardly'toward the ceiling 2 the light rays horizontally emitted by the lamp bulb 5, and thefunction of the supplemental reflector B is to direct upwardly onto the outer surface of said main reflector some of the light rays downwardly emitted by the lamp bulb 5. In this way, the outer surface of the main reflector A is illuminated, said reflector appearing to be of translucent, rather than opaque, material. The light rays which illuminate the outer surface of the main reflector pass, of course, from the inner reflecting surface of the supplemental reflector B upwardly through the circumferentially disposed illuminated spaces between the horizontally disposed lower portions 1'7 of the L- shaped supporting members and between the lower end of said main reflector A and the inwardly extending annular flange 23 of the top portion 22 of said supplemental reflector B.

In the embodiment of the invention here shown, an additional supplemental reflector, marked C, is used, the function of which is to illuminate the outer surfaces of the lower and intermediate portions 20, 21 of the supplemental reflector B. Like said supplemental reflector B, the supplemental reflector C may be of any suitable material, such as spun brass, and of any desired shape. It is here shown as of inverted somewhat frusto-conical shape, with a lower portion flared upwardly and outwardly and an upper,

slightly curved portion 36 extending upwardly and outwardly and terminating in a reversely bent or depending flange 37.

This supplemental reflector C is supported from the supplemental reflector B located thereabove, the supporting means here shown for said purpose comprising a plurality, say three, of circumferentially spaced, generally L-shaped members similar to those which are used to support the main reflector A and the supplemental reflector B. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the supporting members for supporting the supplemental reflector C each has a relatively short, vertically disposed upper portion 39 suitably secured, such as by a bolt 40, to the inner surface of the lower end portion of the supplemental reflector B and also has a horizontally disposed lower portion 41 extending outwardly through a suitable slot 42 in the lower end portion of said supplemental reflector B. On the outer ends of the horizontally disposed lower portions of said supporting members is removably supported the supplemental reflector C, the depending top flange 37 of said supplemental reflector resting upon said supporting portions 41.

As pointed out in our copending application above referred to, some of the light rays downwardly emitted by the lamp bulb 5 are directed by the inner reflecting surface of the supplemental reflector C upwardly onto the outer surface of the supplemental reflector B, with the result that the outer surfaces of the lower and intermediate portions 20, 21 of said supplemental reflector B are illuminated, and said portions of said reflector are thereby caused to appear to be made of translucent material, rather than opaque material. Said rays pass, of course, from the supplemental reflector C onto the outer surface of the supplemental reflector B upwardly through the circumferentially elongated spaces 45 between the horizontally disposed portions 41 of the supporting members for the supplemental reflector C and between the lower end of the supplemental reflector B and the depending or reversely bent top flange 37 of the supplemental reflector C. Due to the particular shape of said supplemental reflector B, as pointed out in our copending application heretofore referred to, the outer surface of the ring-like top portion 22 of the supplemental reflector B is not illuminated, with the result that is particularly pleasing and striking contrast is provided between said top portion 22 and the intermediate and lower portions 21, 20 of said supplemental reflector, all as will be readily understood.

In the embodiment of the invention here illustrated, an ornamental glass ball or the like is provided at the lower end of the supplemental reflector C, which reflector is provided, in the present embodiment of the invention, with a centrally disposed opening 51 through which extends a stud portion 52 of said ball. The means here shown for maintaining said ball in proper assembled relation with the supplemental reflector C comprises two interconnected brackets, one of which, marked X, is suitably supported by said supplemental reflector and the other of which, marked Y, is suitably secured to said ball. Each of said brackets is a simple metal member of generally inverted channel shape, bracket X being provided with a top portion 53 and a pair of leg portions 54 and the bracket Y being provided with a top portion 55 and a pair of leg portions 56. The top portions 53 and 55 of the two brackets overlie the opening 51 of the sup plemental reflector C and hence the stud portion 52 of the ornamental ball 50. The leg portions 56 of bracket Y lie between the leg portions 54 of bracket X, and the stud portion 52 of the ornamental ball 50 lies between and is pivoted or otherwise suitably secured to the leg portions 56 of bracket Y, such as by means of a split rivet 57 or the like. A suitable screw 58 extends through suitable apertures in the top portions 53, 55 of said brackets, whereby said top portions are adjustably connected to each other, and by simply adjusting said screw, the bracket Y with the ornamental ball 50 carried thereby can be drawn upwardly relative to bracket X and the ornamental ball 50 thereby secured in assembly with the supplemental reflector C without the liability of said ball rattling or the like. Due to the pivotal connection of the ball 50 to the bracket Y, said ball is free to assume a proper depending position relative to the fixture as a whole, which position is not affected by vertical adjustment of said ball.

When the lamp bulb 5 of the presentfixture is illuminated, some of the light rays downwardly emitted by said bulb will pass downwardly through the opening 51 of the supplemental reflector C and hence will illuminate the ball 50, causing it to particularly glow in a very attractive manner at the top thereof adjacent its stud f portion 52. In addition to illuminating said ball, some of the light rays passing downwardly through the opening 51 of supplemental reflector C are directed by said ball upwardly onto the outer surfaceof said supplemental reflector C, with the result that said reflector surface is thereby illuminated.

It will thus be seen that in the present embodiment of the invention, at least some parts of the outer surface of all three reflectors A, B and C are softly illuminated, with the result that said illuminated parts appear to be of some beautiful translucent material, rather than of plain opaque material, such as brass.

As pointed out in our copending application above referred to, in order to give the illuminated outer surfaces of these three reflectors A, B and C a colored effect and hence increase or enhance the attractiveness of the present lighting fixture, a suitable colored means is so positioned below the lamp bulb 5 that the light rays downwardly emitted thereby will be forced to pass through said colored means and hence will be correspondingly colored thereby. By providing a set of such means, each of a different color, the illuminated outer surfaces of the main and supplemental reflectors can be given any desired colored effect, and with each change of colored means, a difierent lighting fixture is seemingly provided, all without sacrificing the main illumination afiorded by the fixture or of coloring it in any way.

Each colored means as here shown comprises a simple glass disc 60 preferably supported by the main reflector A in any suitable manner. To this end, said main reflector is provided at its lower end with an inwardly extending annular flange 62, on which the marginal portion of a colored glass disc 60 is removably supported. By merely changing colored discs 60, various colored effects can be easily, quickly and economically obtained, it being merely necessary to remove the particular disc being supported on the main reflector flange 62 and to position thereon a differently colored disc, all as will be readily understood. In order that the colored efiects will be uniform, each of the discs 60 is preferably of such size as to completely close the lower end. or mouth of the main reflector A, thereby making it necessary for all downwardly emitted light rays to pass through a disc, all as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and as will be readily understood.

To enable the present lighting fixture to be readily tilted to the lamp bulb 5, to thereby enable one of the chains 13 to be unhooked or otherwise disconnected from the vertically disposed portion 16 of a supporting member and thus enable a change in colored discs to be readily efiected, each'of said colored discs is preferably of concave form, as shown. As a result, the present fixture can be readily tilted relative to the lamp bulb 5 without the liability of said bulb and such a colored disc 60 coming into harmful contact.

Further features of the present lighting fixture will be apparent, of course, to those skilled in the art to which it relates.

What we claim is:

1. In a lighting fixture, a supporting element having an opening, an ornamental ball arranged adjacent said element and having a stud portion extending through the opening thereof, a bracket member supported by said element and arranged adjacent the opening thereof, and a second bracket member secured to the stud portion of said ball and adjustably secured to said first mentioned bracket member.

2. In a lighting fixture, a supporting element having an opening, an ornamental ball arranged below said element and having a stud portion extending upwardly through the opening thereof, a bracket member supported by said element and having a top portion and. a pair of supporting leg portions, said top portion overlying said element opening, a second bracket member having a top portion and a pair of leg portions, said ball stud lying between the leg portions of said second bracket member and being pivotally connected thereto, the top portion of said second bracket member lying beneath the top portion of said first mentioned bracket member, and a screw for adjustably connecting the top portions of said bracket members.

3. In a lighting fixture, a pair of reflectors, one arranged above the other, said upper reflector being provided at its lower end with an opening and with an inwardly extending, annular flange surrounding said opening, said upper reflector being also provided adjacent the outer edge of said flange with a plurality of apertures, colored means arranged on said flange for coloring light rays before they pass down through said opening, and means for supporting said lower reflector from said upper reflector and comprising a plurality of generally L-shaped members, each of said members having a generally vertically disposed upper portion and a generally horizontally disposed lower portion, the upper portions of said supporting members extending through said apertures and the outer ends of the horizontally disposed portions of said supporting members removably supporting said lower reflector.

GEORGE E. GLATTHAR. FREDERICK WENING. 

